ALWAYS looking for solutions, Steven Pressley has changed his
defensive tactics for the third time this season in a bid to tighten up
from set-pieces.

It's a case of so far so good for the newly-adopted zonal
marking system which Coventry City have employed in their last two games
when they have conceded just one goal but, crucially, not from a corner
or free-kick.

Marauding full-backs Cyrus Christie and Blair Adams have been
sacri-ficed for more orthodox defenders who appear to have brought a bit
more solidity to the Sky Blues back four who had previously shipped
eight in three games.

"We've tried a number of things this season; we've
tried purely manto-man marking, we've tried partially zonal and now
we're going full zonal but that's because we need to find a
solution," explained the City boss.

"To a degree that's why we've had effectively four
centre-halves.

"When we were at our best our two full-backs played an
enormous part in that.

"But sometimes when the pitches aren't so good and the
environment and windy conditions aren't great you have to find
different ways to get results, and maybe because of the full-backs'
aggressive style to get forward it left us a little bit more exposed to
the counter attack.

"So we decided to give ourselves a little bit more stability.

"One of the things you need when you go zonal is to have good
headers of the ball in the correct areas, and both Jordans Clarke and
Willis are excellent headers of the ball, so it's something
we've adopted.

"But also the players have to respond to that because it
can't always be the system. There comes a time where the players
have to take responsibility, and I've told them that.

"If zonal doesn't work, if man-to-man doesn't work
and partially zonal doesn't work then there's an obvious
problem and that's we're not doing our jobs.

"So there comes a point as a manager where, yes, you have to
keep finding solutions but also, as players, you have to take
responsibility because it can't always be the system.

And that's the important thing."

With Michael Petrasso and Mark Marshall deployed out wide in place
of the injured Carl Baker and Franck Moussa on Wednesday night, Pressley
had two players who made up for the absence of an advancing full-back
threat.

"We have a different kind of wide player," he said.

"The ones we had before were ones who liked to come in off the
sides and play and you had to get your full-backs more advanced in the
wide areas.

"But now we have got wide players who can run through and
beyond which means you can have a little bit more stability at the back.

"So different kinds of wide players allow you to do different
things with your full-backs."